This week when our class was discussing whether gender was socially constructed. I had to completely agree with the class’s analysis. Gender is socially constructed, for example, a baby’s parents immediately assigns gender related colors of blue or pink based on gender. Boys are given action figures, while girls are given dolls. When a boy wears a pink shirt or a girl dresses more like a tomboy, we immediately look at them strange or question why. Media also shows us what boys are and what girls are. I thought that our discussion kind of collaborated with the Dill reading about video games. The findings showed men are being portrayed as more physically aggressive and women are being portrayed as very sexualized. These can be dangerous images, especially to young people who are not mature enough or have the knowledge to counter these images. Gender related images found in the media can give youths illusions of what gender really is. For example boys are supposed to be macho and physically aggressive, while girls are supposed to be thin and more sexual. As a result youths try to live up to what they see in the media. In addition, these images can lead to early sexual activity among youths. Images of differentiating gender are definitely socially constructed and they have consequences on our youth.
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